Rail-chair.



Patented Sept. 22, 1908.

RAIL CHAIR. APPLICATION. FILED APR.10,1908.

G. W. SUTHERLAND.

atkwnw To all 'whom it may concern:

i' atNe GEORGE jw. SUT'HERLAND, orr NEWPORT, WASHINGTON.

RAIL-cnam.

No. ssamm.

. Specification o! LetterePatent.

Patented Sept. 22, 1908.

' Appuuon mea Aprn 10,'` isos. serial No. 425,578.

Be it' known that I, GEORGE W. rSUTHER- LAND, a citizen ofthe United States, residing ort, 1n the county of Stevens .an

State lo 'Washington, have invented new and p useful Im rovements in Rail-Chairs, of

l chairs on the latter so as to maintain the l heavy traffic ,original which the ollowing is a specification.

This invention `relates to-railroad track construction, and moreplarticularly to chairs for securing the rails to e cross-ties. The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify the construction of devices of this character so as to be comparatively easy v 15 and inexpensive to manufacture, and so des' ed that the rails can be quickly and conveniently laid or removed.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide an improved rail chair whichL can b e rigidly secured rmly to the cross-tie without dangerof the rails spreading or up-setting and without unnecessarily marring the ytie from or from repeated repair of the track, since the chairs can be replaced in their position when new rails 'are substituted.

With these objects in view and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and' arrangement of parts which will be more fully described heremafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one of the embodiments of the invention YFigure 1 is a side view of the rail chair applied to a rail and cross-tie.4 Fig. 2 is a p an view thereof. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view with the locking member removed. Fig. 4 isa top yplan view. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line 5-5, Fig. 4. 6 is a longitudinal section on line 6 6; ig. 4. Fig. 7 is a lan view of the locking member; F 8 is a side view of the same. J V- imilar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. v

Referring to the drawing, A designates one of the cross-ties of a track on which are laidV the rails B of usual construction, the rails besecured in place by chairs C.. These chairs are metal plates resting on the ltops of the cross-ties and having fastenersI 1 in the form of sharpened lugs depending from the plates and penetrating the cross-ties, thereby assisting in preventing movement of the ro er gage ofthe track. The chairsmay be l urt er secured in position by s ikes 2 driven into the ties at the ends of the c airs. l'

The chair C is composed of two parts, one comprisin a supporting member 3 and the other `a loc ing member 4, the member 4 hav-y in 'a Irecess 5 for receiving the base ofthe `ra1l B, one s'ide of the recess bein undercut to form a hook or flange 6 extendmg the full width of the chair and adapted to en age over the base 7 of the rail B pro'ecting rom one side of the web thereof. 'Ilhe opposite side of the recess is vertical, as at 8, so that the rail can be lowered into the recess after' 4 the base of the rail is partly inserted under the hooi( 6. After the rail is placed on the member 3 of the chair, the locking member 5 is inserted so as to lock the rail 1n position. The member 5 is shaped to correspond to the hook or flan e 6 so as to engage the rail in the same manner as such hook, and the member 5 has a tapering tail 9 that fits in a correspondingly-sha edchamber 10 that is open at the bottom o the main member 3, as clearly shown in Fi 3 and 6, the

the base of said chamber or pocket 10 leading into the recess 5 through an opening 11, the recess Ahaving an ofi-set portion 12 Whose opposite walls are continuations of the convergm Walls of the chamber 10 so as to fit the tal 9 of the member 5. The bottom of the locking member 5, as shown in Fig. 8, has a projection 13 that fits between the parallel walls 14, Fig. 4, said walls serving to guide the locking member as the latter is inserted. The rail chair constitutes an automatic lock and the weight of the train passing over the track firmly locks the chalrs to the rails.

Furthermore, the chairs protect the ties from -being cut by the rails under heavy traffic.

.In la ing the rails, the chairs are ap lied .to lthe atter by inserting the bases ,e` the rails under the flanges 6, and after the rails are completely seated in the recesses 5, thel locking members are inserted in the charnbers 1() by holdin the said members in the osition indicatedgby dotted lines at 15, Fig. 6. After the locking members are inserted as far as the can be, they are moved so as .to be vbroug t into engagement with the bases of the rails, so that their tails willfbe flush with the bottoms of the chairs. After the chairs are thus applied, .they are secured to the cross ties by forcing the fastening members 1 into the ties. The spikes 2, which are next driven into the cross-ties to toV those Skil hold the Achairs in place are located' at the ends of the latter, one of the spikes serving the advantages of the construction and of the method ofvoperation will be readily apparent ed" in the art to which the inven- Ation appertai'ns, and while- I have described the prlnciple of operation, together with the device which I nowl consider to -be the best embodiment thereofI I desire to have it un- .derstood that the ydevice shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes maybe made when desired as are Within the scope of the claims. y y' Having thus described the invention, what I .Claim is:- y n `1.'.A rail chair comprising a' su orting member of such length as to extendpiieyond opposite sides ofthe rail, inte ral fastening lugs depending froni the mem er for penetra'ting a cross-tie, said member having a recess provided with an undercut Wall and also having a chamber communicating with the recess and.` open at the bottom of the chair, and allocking member adapted to engage over the base of the rail and provided with a tail portion disposed in the said chamber7 and extending through the opening of the chamber and under the supporting member. 2. 'A rail chair comprising a plate having a transversely-extending recess at its top and a longitudinally-extending chamber communicatingwith the recess and open at the bottom of the plate, the opposite walls of the chamber convergin outwardly from the recess, a locking mem er disposed in the chamber and arranged to engage .over the base of a rail at one side thereof, and means on the plate to engage the base'oftherail at the op osite side. y s Y l n testimony wheredf Iafii'x my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE WV; SUTHERLAND.,

`Witnesses:

J. P. BERNECK, FRED. STEVENS. 

